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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

WHAT IS OBESITY
Obesity can be best described as the most common nutritional disorder specially in the affluent group of people. It is a condition in which excessive accumulation of fat takes place in the body due to intake of food in excess of physiological requirements. Therefore, overnutrition is as much malnutrition as undernutrition is. An excess of 50 calories per day can increase about 25 Kgs in a period of ten years.

Obesity has been classified into 3 types as follows, depending upon the excess in weight:

1. Exogenous - Overeating or intake of excessive energy.
2. Endogenous -- Due to inherent metabolic disturbance of the body.

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE OBESE
Obesity should not be taken lightly. Obesity means you are 20% or more above the recommended weight for your sex, age, height and bone structure. Extra pounds beneath the 20% mark simply mean you are over-weight.

CAUSES OF OBESITY
Obesity can occur both in male and female at any age. However, it is more common in female.
Some of the following factors may contribute to the development of obesity:
1. It is common in those who take excess of food with little physical work or exercise.
2. Excessive eating habits is also one of the factors.
3. Obesity is rarely seen amongst active persons and it is more common in those with
sedentary habits.

Ferrum metallicum
Obesity with anemia, face puffy, with pitting of flesh. Best adapted to young, weakly persons, anemic and chlorotic, with pseudo-plethora, who flush easily and have cold extremities, suffer from weakness even on speaking or walking though looking strong. Pallor of skin, mucus membranes and face.
Worse by - night, rest, sitting quietly and during menses.
Better by slow motion, walking slowly and in summer.

Ammonium muriaticum
Especially suited to those who are fat and sluggish and whose bodies are large and fat with large buttocks, fatty tumors and thin legs. All mucus secretions are increased and retained. Generally suffering from respiratory troubles and associated affections of liver. Obstinate constipation accompanied by much flatus. Hard, crumbling stools require great effort in expulsion; crumble from the verge of anus.

Thyroidinum
It produces anemia, emaciation, muscular weakness, and sweating, tingling and increased heart rate. It exerts great influence over goiter and excessive obesity and acts best in females with paleness and uterine fibroids or mammary tumors.

Antimonium crudum
Obesity in young people with excessive irritability and fretfulness together with a thickly coated white tongue. All the conditions aggravate by heat and cold bathing. Tendency to grow fat. For children and young people inclined to grow fat, for the extremes of life. Old people with morning diarrhea suddenly become constipated or alternate diarrhea and constipation, pulse hard and rapid. Sensitive to the cold. < After taking cold. Child is fretful, peevish, cannot bear to be touched or looked at, sulky, and does not wish to speak or be spoken to, angry at every little attention. Great sadness, with weeping. Longing for acids and pickles. Gastric and intestinal affections: from bread and pastry; acids, especially vinegar; sour or bad wine; after cold bathing; over-heating; hot weather.
Worse - After eating; cold baths, acids or sour wine; after heat of sun or fire; extremes of cold or heat.
Better - In the open air; during rest; after a warm bath.
Graphites
Tendency to obesity in females with delayed menstruation. The patients are stout, of fair complexion and tendency to skin affections and constipation, fat, chilly and costive. Take cold easily. Tendency to obesity and swollen genitals with indurations of tissues.
Phytollaca
An important remedy for obesity. Reduces fat and false growths. It is pre-eminently a glandular remedy with glandular swellings –heat and inflammations. Helps to reduce fat and thus reduce weight. It is useful in rheumatism of syphilitic origin where the pains are wandering, shifting and shooting. Burning in throat as from coal fire and cannot swallow hot liquids.
General soreness, lameness, bruised feeling over whole body causes the patient to groan. Intense prostration, sitting upright makes him faint and dizzy.
Mother tincture is used for weight reduction.
Fucus
A good remedy for obesity and non-toxic goiter (also exophthalmic). Digestion is improved and flatulence diminished. Obstinate constipation. Thyroid enlargement in obese people.
Calcarea arsenicum
Complaints in fat women around climacteric or women approaching climaxis. The females tend to become fleshy and obese around menopause. Chilliness with dropsical affections. Cancer of uterus, affections of spleen and mesenteric glands are often found associated. Great mental depression. The slightest emotion causes palpitation of heart
Capsicum
Suits nicely those people who are of lax fibers, weak, diminished vital heat, fat/obese, indolent and have no vital heat or no reactive force. General uncleanliness of body and opposed to physical exertion. Burning pains and general chilliness with marked tendency to suppuration in every inflammatory process are found.
Phosphorus
Persons of waxy, translucent skin, half anemic, young people growing too rapidly, fair, blondes, quick and hemorrhagic diathesis. It affects the nutrition and function of every tissue of body. It causes pseudo-hypertrophy of muscles. Adapted to tall slender persons of sanguine temperament, fair skin, delicate eyelashes, find blond or red hair, quick perceptions, and very sensitive nature. Young people, who grow too rapidly, are inclined to stoop who are chlorotic or anemic; old people, with morning diarrhea. Hemorrhagic diathesis; small wounds bleed profusely from every mucous outlet.
Longs for: cold food and drink; juicy, refreshing things; ice cream > gastric pains.
As soon as water becomes warm in stomach it is thrown up.
Worse - Evening, before midnight, lying on left or painful side; during a thunderstorm; weather changes, either hot or cold.
Cold air relieves the head and face symptoms but aggravates those of chest, throat and neck.
Better - In the dark; lying on right side; from being rubbed or mesmerized; from cold food, cold water, until it gets warm.

Lac defloratum
Useful in obesity and where diseases are associated with faulty nutrition. Sick headaches with intense throbbing, nausea and vomiting, prostration and all complaints aggravated during menses.

Kali bichromicum
It is specially indicated for fleshy, fat, light haired complexioned people with scrofulous or syphilitic history. Symptoms tend to increase in the morning and all pains migrate quickly with rheumatic and gastric symptoms alternating. Catarrhal stage of all mucus membranes.

Pulsatilla
It is pre-eminently a female remedy with tendency to obesity in mild, gentle, yielding females who are sad, cry easily and weeps when talking. The symptoms are changeable and contradictory. The patient seeks the open air and feels better in it. Thirstlessness and chilliness in fat females. Aversion to fatty foods, still grows obese. Adapted to persons of indecisive, slow, phlegmatic temperament; sandy hair, blue eyes, pale face, easily moved to laughter or tears; affectionate, mild, gentle, timid, yielding disposition - the woman's remedy.
Weeps easily: almost impossible to detail her ailments without weeping. Especially, in diseases of women and children.
Women inclined to be fleshy, with scanty and protracted menstruation.
Worse - In a warm close room; evening, at twilight; on beginning to move; lying on the left, or on the painless side; very rich, fat, indigestible food; pressure on the well side if it be made toward the diseased side; warm applications; heat.
Better - In the open air; lying on painful side, cold air or cool room; eating or drinking cold things; cold applications.

Sepia
Obesity in females with weakness, yellow complexion and bearing down sensations. Pains extend down to back and patient chills easily. Obesity in menopausal females with hot flushes and perspirations.
Particularly sensitive to cold air, "chills so easily;" lack of vital heat, especially in chronic diseases.
Anxiety: with fear, flushes of heat over face and head; about real or imaginary friends; with uterine troubles.
Great sadness and weeping. Dread of being alone; of men; of meeting friends; with uterine troubles.
Indifferent: even to one's family; to one's occupation, to those whom she loves best.
Greedy, miserly.
Worse - In afternoon or evening; from cold air or dry east wind; sexual excesses; at rest; sultry moist weather; before a thunderstorm.
Better - Warmth of bed, hot applications; violent exercise.

Senega
Especially suited for persons of lax fibers who tend to become obese and also to children who are chubby in appearance. These children usually suffer from repeated respiratory catarrhal affections where rattling cough and profuse mucus but difficult raising are characteristics.